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California Firefighter Dies in Rollover During Heavy Storm

Updated: 08-08-2005 10:37:59 AM

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Firefighter Chris Kanton, formerly of Paso Robles, was killed Saturday near Beaumont in Riverside County.

Kanton, 24, was traveling in a California Department of Forestry fire engine on Interstate 10 east of Highway 60 when the engine left the freeway and traveled down a steep embankment, struck several trees and came to a rest on the roadway below.

The engine was responding to storm-related accidents. Two other firefighters were injured in the accident.

Kanton moved to Paso Robles from Washington when he was nine years old. After graduating from high school he volunteered at the CDF fire station in Heritage Ranch, said Rick Griggs, CDF spokesman.

He attended a fire academy in Santa Maria and went to work for the CDF in Riverside County in May of 2003. Kanton is survived by his wife of six months, Kathryn.

Saturday's crash marked the first on-duty firefighter death for the Riverside County Fire Department in recent years, Griggs said.

The fast-moving storm that moved through the area brought strong winds that knocked over more than 50 power poles in Perris and Quail Valley. Up to 30,000 Southern California Edison customers were temporarily without power, company spokesman Paul Klein said.

Gusts knocked down trees in Banning and San Jacinto, officials said.

"All the streets were like rivers and one house had water damage," county fire engineer Scott Bethurum said from Banning.

However, there were relatively few accidents as most residents hunkered down to wait out the rain.

Distributed by the Associated Press